Monday, October 29, 2007

Advantages and disadvantages of biotechnology

After reading more about biotechnology I think that in today's date biotechnology has more upside than down-sides. Either the downsides of biotechnology are not know yet or we are just overestimating the dangers of consuming GM foods.AdvantageThe number one advantage of biotechnology is the increased production of food. Biotechnology has made it possible to produce crops that are disease resistant, drought resistant so the yield of the crops is increased dramatically. The increased production of food has made it possible to feed the growing population. Increased quantity of food also means that consumers will pay a decent price for the food. Biotechnology has also made it possible to grow crops without the use of much chemicals, pesticides and herbicides since the GM crops already have built in immunity to diseases and pests. This means that GM crops are environment friendly and will spare environment unlike the usual crops which required a bundle of chemicals to be sprayed on them which afterwards damaged the environment. Due to biotechnology, the cost of producing crops is decrease since the need for pesticides and herbicides is decreased. This had increased efficiency in the field of agriculture and reduced the overall cost. This also means that the consumers are also not going to have to pay a lot of money for the food since the cost of producing it was less. Some GM crops produced by biotechnology are also high in some nutrients that ordinary crops are not high in. This is a very good benefit of biotechnology, since it is very healthy for the consumers to get the extra nutrients from GM crops. For example, golden rice which has extra iron and Vitamin A which can help save people from going blind in undeveloped countries due to vitamin A deficiency. Another benefit from biotechnology is that it has increased the shelf life of some crops which is a good trait for the producers, seller and consumers. It will make food to stay fresh longer.

Disadvantages One fear from the use of biotechnology is that the genes could be transferred to other crops which they are not intended to go in and lead to problem, since the transfer of the genes would not be known. Consumers could get an allergic reaction to the food when they consume food that is contaminated with the gene or bacteria transmitted through cross-pollination unknowingly. Seeds of GM crops are relatively higher in cost, so the poor farmers have a hard time reaching them. With biotechnology, there are some fear of health risks that might not be know now and developed later. This would really be devastating as the use Gm crops increasing throughout the worldConclusionThe benefits f biotechnology over weigh the downside in today's date. Since, it is really important to increase the production of food to meet the needs of growing population. While, the safety of the GM crops is tested fist by USDA, FDA and EPA before any GM crop is given permission to grow and sell.